Multi-purpose bone plate system

Abstract

A multi-purpose bone plate system comprises a set of sterile malleable bone plates, an adjustable bending and contouring tower with adjustable angulation and compression slots and a set of bone plates with angulation and compression slots positioned at pre-selected locations to aid three-dimensional shaping of the bone plate. The surgeon inserts the sterile bone plate template to surround the fractured bone and works the template to acquire the physical shape of the fractured bone, inserts the template into the tower to set the adjustable angulation and compression slots of the tower. Now a symmetrical bone plate is inserted into the tower and bent to a shape that replicates the shape of the bone plate. The three-dimensionally shaped bone plate is sterilized and is attached by screws or nails surrounding the fractured bone segment and provides support to fractured bone segments during healing of the bone.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A multi-purpose bone plate system, comprising:
 a. a symmetrical bone plate, bending and contouring tower and sterile malleable bone plate template; 
 b. said sterile malleable bone plate template acquiring a three-dimensional shape of a fractured bone when deformed around an actual bone segment; 
 c. said three-dimensionally shaped bone plate template positioned within the bending and contouring tower to set bending and contouring slot locations; 
 d. said symmetrical bone plate having a right side and a left side separated by a narrowed arcuate region, wherein said left side of said bone plate has two conjoined symmetrical lobes without a gap/divot separating said lobes and being appointed to be bent to accommodate a left or right hand bone section and being provided with angulation and compression slots at selected locations and a central fold line to facilitate the three-dimensional shaping of the bone plate; 
 e. said bone plate bent and twisted and contoured in said bending and contouring tower using angulation and compression slots and bending and twisting tools; 
 f. said symmetrical bone plate being deformed by bending and twisting using said bending and contouring tower to a shape that replicates the three-dimensional shape of said bone plate template; and 
 g. said symmetrical bone plate having six apertures to insert screws or nails to retain said three-dimensionally shaped bone plate against fractured bone segments; 
 whereby said symmetrical bone plate is bent and twisted matching the three-dimensional shape of fractured bone providing complete support for left or right hand applications with minimal inventory of bond plates. 
 
     
     
       2. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said symmetrical bone plate has a thickness of 2.7 mm. 
     
     
       3. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said bone plate has a thickness of 3.5 mm. 
     
     
       4. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said symmetrical bone plate is made from corrosion resistant high strength 316 LVM stainless steel. 
     
     
       5. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said symmetrical bone plate has compression slots and angulation slots surrounding said apertures. 
     
     
       6. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said sterile malleable bone plate template is made from annealed stainless steel sheet. 
     
     
       7. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said sterile malleable bone plate template is made from annealed copper sheet. 
     
     
       8. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said sterile malleable bone plate template is made from annealed aluminum sheet. 
     
     
       9. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said sterile malleable bone plate template is made from polymeric sheet. 
     
     
       10. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 1 , wherein said sterile malleable bone plate template is three-dimensionally deformed by the surgeon to the exact shape of a fractured bone. 
     
     
       11. A multi-purpose bone plate system as recited by  claim 10 , wherein said three-dimensionally deformed sterile malleable bone plate template is used to set the compression slots and angulation slots of the bending and contouring tower by setting adjustable slot positions.